Review of "Fushigi no Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 6 Toguroshima Tankenroku", the first completely new title in 14 years. A milestone in Japanese dungeon RPGs, addictive enough to play a thousand times with gusto!
On January 25, 2024, Fushigi no Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 6 Toguroshima Tankenroku ("Shiren the Wanderer 6") was released on Nintendo Switch. This title is the latest in the popular "Shiren the Wanderer" dungeon RPG series, the first of which was "Fushigi no Dungeon 2: Shiren the Wanderer," released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SFC) in 1995. In this issue, we would like to present a play review of "Shiren the Wanderer 6" from the perspective of the author, an experienced player of the series.
The famous duo of "Shiren," the windman, and "Koppa," the weasel who tells stories, go on an adventure for the first time in 14 years! The stage is set on Toguro Island ......, where treasure lies.
This is a completely new title in the "Shiren the Wanderer" series, the first in 14 years. Since "Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 5 Fortune Tower and the Dice of Destiny" was released on the Nintendo DS, many fans of the series have been waiting for the release of the new title. I am one of them, and ever since I played "Shiren the Wanderer" for the first time on SFC when I was a child, I have been fascinated by "Mystery Dungeon" type games.
Let me start with the story of this game.
The protagonists of this game are "Siren," a traveling adventurer, and his partner, "Koppa," a weasel who tells stories. One day, they have a mysterious dream, which leads them to "Toguro Island," one of the small islands in the Inland Sea.
The two are told that pirate treasures are hidden everywhere on Tuna Island, and that a monster on the top of a mountain has an incredible treasure inside its belly. Hearing such rumors, powerful people from all over the country gather on the island, dreaming of making a fortune. What is the connection between the island and the mysterious dream Shilen and Koppa had? And what treasures lie on the island? A new adventure for the two opens .......
The story of "Siren," a windigo who travels around the world, and his partner Koppa, a talking weasel who understands human language, are two familiar characters from the series, and the story is full of the stability and excitement of the "Siren the Wanderer" series. In addition, many unique characters, such as "Asuka," the female swordsman of the windigo, who is an old friend of Shiren and his friends, "Hibiki," the young leader of the Akashachi pirates, and "Tugai," the head of the opposing black shark pirates, make appearances and add color and excitement to the adventures of the Shiren and his friends. This is a key point of the game.
Step through the mysterious dungeon, the structure of which changes every time you play! The thrill of starting over from scratch with a single misstep is addictive!
The "Shiren the Wanderer" series is a dungeon RPG in which players aim to conquer "Mystery Dungeons" whose structure changes each time they enter. The system in which the stage changes each time you play is what is known as a "roguelike" or "roguelite," and it is no exaggeration to say that the "Shiren the Wanderer" series has made a name for itself as the gold standard of Japanese roguelike games due to its high level of perfection.
The dungeon in which Siren adventures is depicted from a look-down perspective, and actions are turn-based. Siren's actions are followed by the actions of the monsters in the dungeon, and then Siren's actions are followed by the actions of the monsters (......), and so on, until the turn is repeated. If a player makes a mistake, he or she may be damaged unilaterally by the enemy, making for a thrilling game that keeps the player on his toes.
In addition to HP, Siren also has a parameter called " satiety," which means that as turns pass, the player becomes hungrier, so securing food such as onigiri (rice balls) is essential to the strategy. This survival element of the series is also an appealing feature, as players must constantly keep an eye on their HP and satiety level while battling enemies and exploring the map.
The presence of unique monsters that hinder adventures is also an essential part of the series.
In addition to mascot-like monsters such as Mamuru and Chintara, there are also many troublesome monsters such as the "Nigiri Changen," which turns your possessions into rice balls, the "Gamara," which steals Gitane, the currency of the series, and the "Ghost Daikon," which throws poisonous herbs at you. The "Ghostly Daikon" is a monster that throws poisonous herbs at you. The key to success in this game is to understand the characteristics of your opponents and adopt the most appropriate strategy.
Incidentally, this title has an illustrated book function called "Notebook," which allows you to look back at the effects and characteristics of monsters and tools you have once encountered or found at any time. This function is not only useful for adventures, but also provides an element of challenge for players to fill up their notebooks.
The most distinctive feature of this title and the "Shiren the Wanderer" series is that if you run out of HP in a dungeon and fall, you lose everything and have to start over from the first floor of the dungeon.
The level you have worked so hard to gain by defeating enemies, the tools you find in the dungeon, the equipment you use such as swords and shields, and the Gitane you have earned will all be lost if the adventure fails, and you will have to start all over again from scratch. This tingling sensation of being sent back to the drawing board by a momentary lapse in judgment is one of the major attractions of this title, which cannot be experienced anywhere else. In addition, the dungeons are littered with invisible traps of various kinds, and a smooth adventure can be turned upside down by a trap, creating a unique sense of tension that keeps you on your toes at all times.
However, even if you lose everything and go back to the drawing board, you will naturally feel the urge to "try again next time! is also a feature of this work. The author feels that this exquisite balance of difficulty levels is truly the work of a master craftsman.
Another important point to remember is that no matter how much you fail and how much you lose, you will not lose your " player skills " or " adventure know-how," which will continue to accumulate in your brain and body. This "the more you play, the more you learn" experience is something that those who have not experienced the series should definitely try out and experience for themselves.
The new elements of "Shiren the Wanderer 6" are introduced with a bang! The extremely rare "sacred artifacts" and troublesome "dekkai" will add even more excitement to your adventure!
Let us introduce some of the new elements that will appear in "Shiren the Wanderer 6.
First of all, I would like to mention the enhanced options. You may think that this is a rather modest point, but the more experienced you are with the series, the more it will stick in your mind.
The options in this title include not only the basics such as controller key configurations, volume settings, and message window color settings, but also many other things that will make your adventures more comfortable. The game also includes a number of settings that help make play more enjoyable, such as a function that stops the game one square ahead when the player encounters an enemy during a dash, " convenient shortcuts " that allow the user to access various functions without opening menus, and " footprints" that display the path taken by Siren on a mini-map. These itchy options will allow any player to enjoy gameplay that suits his or her style.
Of course, there are plenty of other new elements that appear in this title as well.
One of these is the "divine weapon. This is a rare piece of equipment with random performance enhancements, and there are two types: " blue divine weapons " and " gold divine weapons. Basically, the basic performance of these weapons is higher than that of ordinary weapons, and they have excellent features such as a pre-installed special ability called "mark" and a large number of frames to which the mark can be attached. In short, they are like rare equipment. The gold and blue effects on the weapons and shields make them very exciting to look at when you find them. The author felt that the treasure hunt aspect of this title is further enhanced by these sacred weapons.
A further new element is the " dekkai. This is a huge monster that can appear on some floors in the dungeon. The Dekkai, which have a striking appearance, appear from a hall called " Dekkai Hall " and repeatedly disappear after wandering around for a while. Not only are Dekkai highly aggressive, but attacks from the front and left and right are negated by the powerful " Dekkai Barrier. It is possible to defeat the Dekkai by targeting them from the rear or the center, but even if you do, they will appear one after another from the Dekkai Hall and you will gain only a small amount of experience, so it is important to make the decision to let them pass and move on to the next floor. In this way, " Dekkai " is a new element that adds spice to the thrilling dungeon exploration.
The new " Dosukhoi state " is somewhat unique in that it is triggered when Siren's satiety level reaches 150 or more. When activated, Siren's maximum HP and attack power are enhanced, and traps are also disabled, among other significant benefits. The initial satiety limit is 100, so it is necessary to raise the satiety limit by eating rice balls when Siren is full or using stomach-expanding seeds, etc. However, the benefits of activating this feature are great, and it will certainly help in the strategy. The "Dosukhoi state" is expected to function as one of the new options for dungeon-crossing strategies.
The " Mononoke Dojo " is a facility where visitors can freely place monsters, traps, and tools that they have encountered or obtained in the dungeon. This is a place to practice dungeon exploration by checking the movements and abilities of monsters and trying out the effects of tools and equipment. Basically, the "Siren of the Wind Rises" series is about "learning by doing in the dungeon," and this "Mononoke Dojo" allows players to learn slowly and freely without the risk of losing their belongings. This is a new feature that will be very welcome not only to beginners in the series, but also to experienced players.
Introducing a full range of communication elements! Rescue someone in the world or even rescue yourself when you fall!
The "Shiren the Wanderer" series is basically a game that is meant to be played silently by a single player, but there are several communication elements in this title. Here, we will introduce these communication elements.
First of all, there is "Fūrai Rescue. If you fall down in a dungeon, you can send a rescue request and wait for someone to come to your rescue. If someone else receives the request and reaches the place where you fell, the rescue is successful and you can resume the dungeon without losing any tools or guitars.
On the other hand, if you want to rescue someone else, you must receive a request from the " Rescue Board," a gathering of windsurfers from all over the world, and head to the dungeon. Tools and Gitans acquired during the rescue cannot be brought back to the dungeon, but are exchanged for " Okugi Points, " which are used to set " Okugi " to assist in the rescue adventure.
If you share the " rescue ID " issued when you connect to the Internet, you can ask a specific player to rescue you, so you can play with your friends and help each other. Although it is not possible to directly share an adventure with someone else, the wind-assisted rescue system is a unique and interesting way to connect with someone else, and when you successfully complete a difficult rescue, you will feel a sense of accomplishment as if you have become a master of the game. Rescuing others is also a great way to practice and learn how to apply the know-how to your own adventures.
Wind Rescue is useful when you yourself have fallen, but there are times, however, when it is difficult to find someone to help you, or when you do not have an Internet connection in the first place. In such cases, there is also "self-rescue," in which you can rescue yourself. As the name suggests, this is to go rescue your past self who has fallen down by playing your own game. As with rescuing someone else, the user can spend Depth Points to activate Depths, such as increasing the starting HP or fullness level, or starting at level 10, which may facilitate a smooth rescue.
A communication element different from rescue is " parallel play". This function allows players to create saved data called "parallel data" at any point during the dungeon crawl and upload it to the server so that other players can continue the dungeon crawl under the same circumstances and conditions.
When parallel data is created, a parallel ID is issued, and as in the case of rescue IDs, it is possible to have specific players play in parallel by sharing the ID. This is an interesting system that can be used in a variety of ways depending on the creator's ingenuity, such as holding a time attack with many players, or creating parallel data during parallel play and playing in a relay format, adding even more depth to the way this work is played. I expect that "Shiren the Wanderer 6" will become even more popular in the gaming world in the future through RTA competitions and video distribution projects that utilize this parallel play system.
Without losing any of the old fun, and with the addition of well-balanced new elements, "Shiren the Wanderer 6" is recommended at all costs, even for those who have no experience with the series!
So, that's our first impression of "Shiren the Wanderer 6".
While carefully maintaining the orthodox and stable fun reminiscent of the first "Shiren the Wanderer" on the SFC, the game has been made much easier to play, and new elements such as "sacred weapons" and "dekkai" have been added. The overall balance of the game is very good and stress-free, making it a game that can be played over and over again for a long time without getting tired of it. I highly recommend this game not only to fans of "Shiren the Wanderer" and the roguelike genre, but also to players who have never played the series before or who have no experience with Mystery Dungeon. </>
Title Information
- Fushigi no Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 6 - Toguroshima Tankenroku
- Release date: January 25, 2024
- Compatibility: Nintendo Switch
- Price: 6,985 yen (tax included) *Package version and download version
- Genre: Dungeon RPG
- Player: 1 player
- CERO: B (for ages 12 and up)
- Developer/Released by: Spike Chunsoft Co.
Writer who buys too many games. Currently has more than 300 games in his stack. Also a novelist. His works include "Todorouni tantei no chozen taru jikenbouki (Roaring Luck Detective's Chosen Case Book: Detective Annihilation Hall Murder Case)" (Seikai-sha) and "Yubisaki kaidan: 140 kanjaku no kaihon (Yubisaki ghost stories: 140 scary stories) (PHP Kenkyujo).
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(c)Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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